Jury hears from Jackson’s mother, doctors in trial

July 27, 2013

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A look at key moments this past week in the wrongful death trial in Los Angeles between Michael Jackson’s mother, Katherine Jackson, and concert giant AEG Live LLC, and what is expected at court in the week ahead:

THE CASE

Jackson’s mother wants a jury to determine that the promoter of Jackson’s planned comeback concerts didn’t properly investigate Dr. Conrad Murray, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter by a criminal jury for Jackson’s June 2009 death. AEG’s attorney says the case is about personal choice, namely Jackson’s decision to have Murray serve as his doctor and give him doses of a powerful anesthetic as a sleep aid. Millions, possibly billions, of dollars are at stake.

WHAT HAPPENED THIS PAST WEEK

—Jackson’s mother told jurors she did not believe her son was responsible for his own death and broke down in tears as she described the difficulty of listening to negative characterizations of her son throughout the trial.

—Jurors heard from three of Jackson’s former medical care providers, who described their treatments of the pop superstar. Nurse anesthetist David Fournier told the jury that he no longer treated Jackson after he stopped a surgery in 2003 in which the singer acted inappropriately during a pre-operation screening.

—Fournier told jurors that Jackson had a high tolerance for certain drugs, and that he felt the singer was dishonest by not disclosing that he had an implant that blocked the effects of opiate medications before a surgical procedure.

WHAT THE JURY SAW

—Katherine Jackson break down in tears as she described the pain she experienced reading and hearing about emails in which corporate lawyers for AEG Live and its parent company described her son as “the freak” and an upcoming meeting with him as “creepy.”

—Jackson’s medical records from emergency room visits after he injured his foot and returned several times to request painkillers.

QUOTABLE MOMENTS

—“Even though he asked for it, he could have said no,” Katherine Jackson said of Murray’s treatments of an anesthetic as a sleep aid on her son.

—“He wasn’t honest with me,” Fournier said about Jackson, describing how he learned the singer didn’t disclose having an implant that blocked opiate medications before a September 2003 medical procedure.

WHAT’S NEXT

—Jurors will hear from Eric Briggs, a defense expert who says it was highly speculative to assume Jackson would have earned millions if he had lived.